Electric Love
by WeebCommander
Summary: There's more to life than a 9-5 job and an orderly life. Real life AU. Started with the intent to be a one shot just for fun like Screw Metaphors!, but it's morphing into something new. Updated occasionally as it takes a backseat to Wildflowers. Beautiful Fraxus bullshit. Enjoy being titillated. Yes, fluffy eventual citrus, and yes tasty Laxus angst.
1. It's Monday!

**Hi there! Hope you're hungry for some embarrasment! Becaudr poor Freed will never be the same again.** **I hope those who enjoyed the absolute ridiculous nature of Screw Metaphors! Will enjoy this craziness.** **Warning you now, this will update slowly. So don't get aggro- I just couldn't help posting it anymore as its been sitting on my Googledocs forever.** **Song Links!**

 *** https/youtu.be/RYr96YYEaZY**

 *** https/youtu.be/upURGMVGXWA**.

 *** https/youtu.be/hsbQd2_xnWM**

 **Enjoy!**

Today was the worst.

Without fail, something had gone wrong throughout Freed's errands; from the moon-faced bank teller shorting his change to the rip he'd found in his favorite snowy cravat at the cleaners, it had all been a disaster. By the end of his morning, the man's frustration had tugged several vibrant green strands from his usually proper crown, leaving an unfortunate disheveled appearance. He'd tried to readjust his ponytail in order to catch the strays, but it had been no use. Today was too much.

At the end of his patience and daylight, the weary accountant entered the nearest cafe to medicate his sore disposition and escape the cold. The barista had prepared his tea swiftly, his pink hair bobbing with the upbeat reggae tunes bumping over the intercom. Setting the paper cup down in front of his customer, the man ignored Freed's reiterated request for a ceramic mug and pushed his way into the back room.

 _'Ass.'_ He thought, resentfully sleeving the scalding beverage and heading to a corner nook table in the deserted coffee house. 'At least TRY to pretend like you aren't here for a paycheck…'

Sitting back into the mahogany-painted booth, he reveled in the half wall's privacy. Freed unbuttoned his drab, charcoal suit around his waist and loosened his brick red tie, slumping his head against the back of the chair. _'Well,'_ he sighed internally, sipping from his cup and blanching at the completely wrong flavor of the beverage… perfect. _Today was a complete waste of time.'_

He had 3 high-profile clients to attend to tomorrow, so he hoped he could calm himself marginally to get good rest tonight. The accountant smiled a little at the thought of returning to the safety and order of rules and numbers in the morning. There was a part of him that thought, well, everything else just wasn't for him.

Compulsory obsessions made him quite good at his job; his co-workers could spend all morning with a client while Freed had a system down to where he could have double the satisfied clientele in the same amount of time. Efficiency was key in what he did, and he made it look easy.

Relaxing some, he took another drink. It must be Masala Chai Tea or something similar; the business man rolled his eyes and thumbed the raised seal on the cup's sleeve. ' _How you can mix up chai with camomile is beyond me. He must have serious inattention issues to not notice the striking scent of cinnamon, cloves and cardamom where there should be a subdued, light floral bouquet. Idiot.'_

Reluctantly finishing his drink (it's rude to let it go to waste, after all!), Freed stood, refastened his jacket and exited the building. Before he could leave the walkway however, he felt the lightness in his pocket and held the door, the alarm ringing out into the nearly deserted city street.

Returning through the doorway, he swiftly crossed the wood floors back to the alcove. Where was his phone? He checked his pockets again; "nope". Freed saw something catch the light on the floor in the corner of the booth and hastily undid his buttons again to be able to bend over and retrieve the device. He paid no mind to the swinging sound of the double doors opening or the rattling of wheels against wood grain.

 _'Gotcha!'_ he thought, finally grabbing hold of the smooth manufactured case and dusting it off with his other hand. It must have fallen out when he'd opened his jacket. A mental note was made to sew a couple extra stitches in the side to make it harder to have things fall out. Something about buying another phone really seemed terribly inconvenient, especially if he could have prevented it.

 **"hmmmm… and every night my mind is running around ya. Thunder's gettin' louder and louder..."**

Freed, startled by the terrible off-key baritone jolted upright and rapped the bottom of the table hard with the back of his head. **_"Sonofa-"_** he nearly swore out loud but settled for growling through clenched teeth. THAT, was going to leave a knot. Careful not to repeat this incredibly painful adventure, he knelt from his crouch and turned to find himself eye level with the most… _glorious_...boot-cut blue jeans hugging a gyrating backside like a second skin.

 **"Baby, you're like lightning in a bottle. I can't let you go now that I got it and all I need is to be struck by your electric loooooove… electric loovvee."**

Freed looked up to find the rhythmically dancing man listening to headphones as he mopped the floor around him, stepping out into the center of the room. The wooden handle swung back and forth with the grinding of his hips. The purple tank top he wore road up on his stomach, exposing a sliver of heavy muscle surrounding the man's spine. The accountant's knees were screaming to be relieved of the bulk of his weight, but the glorious sight had him ignoring practically anything else.

 **"Rush into me… feel your energy rush into me… feel your energy rush into meeeeeeeeeeee!"**

This guy really was tone deaf, but there was something completely free and lovely about his movements. The jagged, spiked blond hair on his head had a gently matted arrangement from having taken his work shirt and apron off to clean. When he finally turned far enough for Freed to catch his profile, there was a large, jagged scar that crept down his right brow and passed through his unfocused eye onto his high pale cheekbone.

The man was so… so….

 ** _"Beautiful…"_** Freed gasped, his bright eyes transfixed.

 **"And a-a-a-all I need is to be struck by your electric lo- _AHH FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK!!!_ "**

The man jumped a good two feet in the air at the sudden sight of a businessman leering at him from under a table. He came down, landing on his weathered maroon converse and slipping on the freshly scrubbed floor beside him. The resulting crash sent the mop bucket spinning off into the corner, sloshing water everywhere before careening into the wall with a bang.

The man clutched his chest and heaved desperate breaths trying to calm the sudden race of his heart and then realizing his ass hurt something fierce. **"OWWW! _FUCK_ ME!"**

Freed stumbled to his feet, but the weakness in his numb knees made them buckle under him once he'd crossed onto the slick part of the flooring. His own backside caught the fall and he felt a shooting burn of nerves crawling up his back. " _Ow_! _What is going ON today_ " He griped, trying to right himself but slipping under the poor traction of his business dress shoes.

" **WHAT**?" The blond screamed, lifting his headphones from his ears.

Freed grimaced and tried to get up again without success. "I was actively cursing my many maladies today."

"Well do it some place else, _we're closed!_ " The barista snapped, pointing to the door in the corner. Man, _his arms were nice too._ He appeared to lift often if the bulge in his biceps was any indication. The accountant wondered what the chances were he would _pick him up._

 _'Cheesy internal one-liners. **Really** , Freed??'_

"I _would_ had someone not been scrubbing the floor with cooking lubricant!" The sea foam colored hair in his ponytail had loosened and fell lank around his face. "My phone fell out of my pocket in the booth and I just came to get it when you came waltzing in here like you did…"

The icy blue stare of the stranger became truly cold and he tried making his way to Freed, a vein popping on his high forehead. _"You didn't **SEE** or **HEAR ANYTHING**. **Period**! You got me, nerd?"_

 _"S-s-sure!!"_ He gasped, his hands trying to push himself out of reach. "To be fair though, if I did happen to see or hear... something, it did rather make my day better."

What he thought was a compliment seemed to anger the beastly man further. The blond was now sliding on his belly, desperately trying to catch hold of anything he could grab of Freed's to beat the everliving shit out of him. **"C'MERE** **, ASSHOLE! I'M GONNA MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE DEAD YOU PIECE OF CRAP! NO ONE TALKS TO ME THAT WAY AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!"**

There was something reptilian in his desperate clawing at the wood grain in the floors and the clench in his jaw. The slight man panicked, even more frantically trying to reach his booth again. _"Oh GODS no! That's not what I meant! Please don't- **eep!!!** "_

In his attempt to escape, his leg had slipped out straight behind him and been captured by the blond monster. Making a sound like a wounded gazelle, Freed kicked at his aggressor, the slick sole of his shoes unable to make purchase in actually fending him off.

Instead the man grabbed him by both legs and began pulling Freed toward himself, using the fabric of his dress slacks to tug.

"Oh- _Oh no_! It _really isn't what I meant!_ " The accountant pleaded tearfully turning to face the angry beast behind him, " I _swear_! I-I just f-ffound you to be- well- _AHH! STOP PULLING YOU'RE GOING TO-_ "

 **POP**.

Freed's pants slid violently down his pale legs past his knees, button having whizzed off god knows where. Green hair caught beneath a retreating limb, he collapsed, and kicked hard at the man's gut.

The blonde's eyes bulged and he coughed urgently, collapsing between the other man's exposed knees and dangerously close to his gray colored boxer briefs that read **It's Monday!'** across the elastic at his waist.

Completely mortified, Freed tried to get up, to put some distance between them, but the squirming of the bigger man made it difficult to get his arm out from under him. " ** _FOR FUCKS SAKE!"_** he swore, his entire face beet red. _WHAT WAS GOING ON TODAY!?_

The sound of the door alarm rang through the shop, prompting the beast to push himself up using the thighs on either side of him.

"Laxuuuus!" a familiar voice rang out, "Sorry I was a dick and didn't lock…. the…..the door…" The voice fell, and Freed looked over to see two men standing in the doorway, the first and the one that had spoken was the salmon-haired employee that had made him the wrong tea earlier. The second had jet black hair and a bare chest beneath an open tropical shirt; expression like he'd been slapped in the face by someone's bare tit.

"HAHA! _GAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY_!" The dark haired man called with his hands cupped to carry the sound into the room.

The beast who Freed guessed must be this 'Laxus' saw red. **"I WILL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU MOTHERFUCKERS I SWEAR TO GOD! _GET OFF OF ME!_ "** He screamed at Freed.

 _"Y-you're on me!!!"_ He squeaked, but still tried to wriggle away "-And you're kind of _heavy_ , you _oaf!_ "

" **Dude** …" Flamingo hair said, his brow scrunched in confusion. "Why didn't you lock the doors if you were gonna do that stuff?? Well, I'll lock up for you anyhow. _Wear a glove- see ya._ "

Was this dude for real? It didn't look like he was joking at all.

Just the same, the two men left, with the unmistakable sound of a lock tumbling into place.

Now that they were alone, Laxus appeared openly dejected. If Freed had to guess, he was considering the length of time he'd be stuck being given shit for all this.

"I _am_ sorry. Here, use my hands instead." he offered, holding his hands palm up in the air toward his companion in mortification.

Laxus glowered while he reluctantly took the help, his lip curling in distaste. "Don't get any funny ideas, _fairy_."

Well, wasn't he pleasant.

Feeling particularly fed up, Freed clicked his tongue. "You were a lot cuter before you opened your mouth." he scoffed in frustration, now reluctantly steadying Laxus to his feet. The floor seemed to have dried some since the beginning of this encounter, and he found purchase despite the poor grip on his soles.

Oddly enough, the normally stoic if not aggressive looking man suddenly looked away, crossing his arms. Laxus bit the inside of his cheek trying to regain control over the faint dusting of pink on his porcelain ears.

How very interesting.

" _Well_ , are you going to help me up or _not_?" The accountant chided again.

"And why would I do that?" Laxus sneered, his eyes still struggling to focus elsewhere. Anywhere but the man who until recently was struggling to get him out of his lap… sans pants. The thought had a deep red creeping across him from mid chest up.

Unfortunately for the beast, it didn't go unnoticed.

With a devious grin, Freed feigned helplessness, pulling his pants back up around his waist and sliding his hand across the floor. "Because you're a decent human being who isn't going to pass up an opportunity to have someone help them clean this mess up?"

Well hell… Laxus couldn't argue with that. The water would take forever to get out on his own, let alone re-scrubbing the black shoe prints and skids maring the beige tiling and finishing the floor he'd yet to touch. He would be in it deep if the old man came in bright and early to find his son's job done less than perfectly.

Sometimes being kin to the owner didn't bring any sort of reward.

Laxus pulled him to his feet by the forearm and ran a hand through his hair. "You're gonna help me… with _those_ scrawny arms?" God why was he such a dick all the time? This beautiful man was offering to make his job easier, but the heat in his face caused a wild, anxious reluctance to accept his help.

Freed grinned, carefully making his way over to the booth and removing his jacket to set it on the seat. "I am. Do you have a second mop?" He turned expectantly, unbuttoning and removing the deep green dress shirt and red tie to reveal his own cloudy undershirt. He flexed experimentally now that he was free of long sleeves, stretching his toned arms and torso while fixing his ponytail.

Laxus tried to swallow but found he had become a desert. Instead he nervously cleared his throat and crossed the room to the broom closet beside the back entrance.

Freed leaned seductively against the table, _'I saw that,'_ he thought, right before his slacks fell around his ankles again. Fully dejected, he tried to right them before the man shut the closet door to see him such a state. _Again_.

"Ah...I would appreciate any ideas you might have in keeping my attire in place." Man, he couldn't catch a break today. Hormones really needed to take a backseat to doing what needed to be done and then promptly never entering this side of town again. Or just leave Magnolia altogether. Probably easier.

The door creaked shut, and Laxus returned with a mop and something small in his hand. "Here. Just until you can get home, I guess. Don't think anyone will notice with your jacket on." A begrudging thoughtfulness where once there was only blatant assholery?? Be _still_ his beating heart!

A small stapler was pressed into his hands; why hadn't he thought of that? Some brainy accountant he was.

It took a few tries and even more bent pieces of metal falling to the floor, but eventually he felt confident enough that they'd stay secure. Freed took the second mop that leaned against the booth and began the mind-numbing task of sopping up water and disposing of it into the bucket.

 _" **Dude**. You've never worked an honest job in your life, have you?"_

Scowling, Freed looked up at the incredulous stare next to him.

" _I don't have to help, you know!_ " he growled back. "I've had an **impossible** day, but I'm trying to do the right thing here..." He was borderline tearful now, the stress eating at his stomach without pause.

Laxus rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic, given the man's sulking. "I meant it as an observation. Don't be so sensitive. With this much water it's best I open the door and push it out; that's all I meant by it."

Freed sat back and watched the blond unlock the door and prop it open, then proceed with a large squeegee to rush the excess water out the door. A protesting accountant had been silenced with a hand; they only had one of these tools and it would be faster if he did this part himself now.

So helplessly he watched in silence. Laxus' keen side muscles rippling over his ribs through his tank top with practiced effort as he pushed the majority if the moisture down the steps. Locking the way again, he turned and found Freed flushed. "You okay?"

"Hmm? Why??" The accountant puzzled dreamily, now examining the pronounced 'v' shape of Laxus' corded muscles disappearing into his jeans.

"Looks like you have a fever is all. Not gunna get you out of helping me clean your mess up, though." The beast smirked, his pronounced canines glinting in the ambient cafe lighting.

"You're _exhausting_." Freed groaned, using his mop to stand and beginning to dig at the corners of his booth. He was thankful he hadn't been caught staring, or he'd really be in trouble with the quickly drying floors and no one coming to barge in and interrupt his murder.

They mopped in silence for a while, keeping to their respective sides of the room with only the gentle rubbing noise of cloth against tile. After ten minutes Laxus growled, "Too quiet. Music okay?"

"Fine." Freed affirmed, his attention mostly set on a stubborn discoloration in the corner by the oak counters.

"Don't worry about that spot. My idiot coworker did something during a particularly boring shift there. No idea what, but it hasn't come clean since." Laxus called matter of factly from a step stool below a speaker.

 ** _Just a young gun with a quick fuse. Always uptight; wanna let loose. I was dreamin' of bigger things and, wanna leave my own life behind._**

Freed's head bobbed to the familiar tune. He'd heard it on the radio to and from work, but now he couldn't help but snicker at how perfectly the song seemed to describe the owner of the sound pod the music played from.

 ** _Not a 'yes, sir', not a follower. Fit the box, fit the mold, have a seat in the foyer. Take a number. I was lightning before the thunder._**

The drop had Freed's body moving for a moment before he remembered his surroundings. Schooling his hips, he returned to his stoic scrubbing and looked up at the busy man...

Whose body seemed to be trying to betray him as well. The fluid nature of his mopping was giving him the permission to wiggle the rest of himself before his whole body went rigid. The accountant couldn't help but smile at that.

 ** _Thunder, feel the thunder. Lightning and the thunder, thunder, thunder._**

"I like this song." He blurted during a softer point in the music. "It makes me want to dance, though the beat isn't great for it."

There was a little humor in the response, and Freed could see a slight upturn to the blond's mouth. "Yeah, I suppose it isn't. If you're looking for something else I could always change the playlist."

That was a curious offer. Intrigued, Freed swung his messy ponytail over his shoulder and shrugged noncommittally. "Whatever you'd like."

The music changed abruptly, the blond fidgeting with the device in his pocket. The beat was such that despite his best efforts to stay still, he couldn't. His mop quickly scrubbed between the booth seats and followed his slender frame. From the corner of his eye he could see the red in the other man's face deepen.

 ** _You gotta look in your eyes,_** ** _I knew you in past life._** ** _One glance and the avalanche drops._** ** _One look and my heartbeat stops._**

 _'You like that, handsome?'_ he smirked at his thoughts, punctuating his pleasure with a more emphatic shake of his hips. Freed had no idea what he was doing, but the reaction was too much not to continue to bother the blond. _'You like to watch me, don't you? You're not as tough as you appear...'_

 ** _Ships pass in the night,_** ** _I don't want to wait 'til the next life._** ** _One glance and the avalanche drops._** ** _One look and my heartbeat stops._**

Looking up when he turned to mop through another section, he caught the man leering at him only to quickly look away to the spot he hadn't moved from for ten minutes.

This dance they were doing, it continued, eventually allowing Laxus to move from his spot and begin humming to the music. That was before the sudden shift in the music caught them both off guard, Freed's grin faltering. How was he supposed to dance to _this_?

 ** _Darker than the ocean, deeper than the sea._**

"Here I thought we were listening to dance music," he remarked, his brows furrowing at the simple melody and lack of base.

 ** _You've got everything, you got what I need._**

"You can dance to this." the larger man scoffed, his rosy cheeks no longer stopping his attitude.

 ** _Touch me, you're electric, babe._**

Freed shrugged, returning to his work completely out of sync with the music's flow. "Doesn't really have much depth to it." He complained, disappointed he couldn't continue the teasing he'd been amusing himself with.

 ** _Move me, take me from this place._**

Stepping back to continue mopping, his back met a hard, warm wall of muscle. It shocked him, and he may have yelped and jumped away if not for the firm grip that dug into his hips on either side. "Here," a soft murmur heated the shell of his ear, he could feel lips grazing the sensitive skin as they spoke, "I'll show you."

At that moment, the base appeared, and he could feel his lower half being manipulated to the slow, purposeful beat reflected in the pelvis flush against his backside.

 ** _Movin' to the tempo, show me what it takes._** ** _Speeding up my heartbeat, playing in the flames._**

Freed was… _freaking out_. His game had had some unforseen consequences his brain couldnt quite process. None of this was expected, and his face flushed violently as he continued to clutch his mop with white knuckles. What was he going to do?? He'd placed a bet he wasn't sure he could handle!

 ** _Kiss me, we're on fire, babe._** ** _Love me, take me to outer space._** ** _Kiss me, we're on fire, babe._** ** _Love me, take me to outer space._**

"You shouldn't be such a tease," Laxus mouthed against the side of his neck. The music was swaying them together at a languid pace, their bodies moving as one eith just enough friction to be pleasantly erotic. "Although, had you just gotten to the point in the first place, your face wouldn't be so deliciously rosy right now. That'd be a shame." He growled.

 ** _Covered in your water and I'm feeling like a summer breeze._**

Brain short circuiting, Freed dropped the handle and placed trembling palms across the hands on his abdomen, lacing his fingers between the others. "M-My apologies," his breath hitched when a gentle open mouth kiss settled in the sensitive pace between nape and shoulder. "I'll attempt to be more forthcoming with my intent i-in the future."

 ** _Submitted under power and you brought me to my knees._**

A boisterous booming laugh rattled through his back from the beastly chest behind him. The sound was as chastising as it was interested, a curious combination. "My, already implying there's a next time." One of Laxus' strong hands slid low across the fit waist in front of him. "That's _bold_."

 ** _Use me, you're electric, babe._**

"S-so what if I am?" Freed choked on his words when a forward thumb played with one of the staples below his navel. "I-Is that something you'd be interested in, Laxus?" Before he lost the remainder of his frayed nerves, he turned in his arms and pressed himself against the blond, eyebrow raised in question.

 ** _Move me, take me all the way_**.

The responding grin had his confidence shaking. "Not sure you'll survive the _first_ ride, nerd." He was so painfully attractive at this short of a distance, and his heart could hardly catch its breath with each new discovery. His long, deep brown eyelashes. The way the points of his canines nudged his bottom of his lip when he smiled. The edge of a terrible meat-head tribal tattoo peaking out of his shirt.

 ** _Whisper in my ear, I'm the only one you're loving on._** ** _Take advantage of the moment, you're the only one that I want._**

"I'll admit, I'm tempted to prove you wrong." Freed breathed, his mouth ajar and lids hung low with the proximity of Laxus ' mouth to his. "...I don't know if a ' **ride** ' is all I'm looking for though, If I could be…" The taller man brushed his nose against his, causing a hiccup in his brain activity. "...ah….transparent."

 ** _Kiss me, we're on fire, babe._** ** _Love me, take me to outer space._** ** _Kiss me, we're on fire, babe._** ** _Love me, take me to outer space._**

Freed nearly whimpered when Laxus' grip on him slowly loosened and he took a half step back, his hands falling away. "Sorry," he said, the guarded wall of stone thrown up again in his tone. "Guess we should finish up here. I'm sure you have a busy day tomorrow to wake up early for."

The music played without his notice the remainder of the time he was there, the retreating beast moving back to his mop and quickening his pace. With red stained cheeks, Freed couldn't help feeling proud of himself for resisting and guilty for possibly sending the wrong signal. Gods, he was so impossibly BAD at this.

He' never expected anything out of it.

Keeping to himself, the accountant had gotten pretty decent at mopping floors by the time his mop met Laxus'. They looked around at their work, the tiles all but shimmering clean. Freed couldn't help feeling upset with himself, but his logical side argued that he'd been down that road before and the heartbreak of unrequited feelings wasn't worth the effort. A perfect stranger wasn't worth his getting bent out of shape over.

He'd stood kindly by while Laxus put away the cleaning supplies and shut off the lights. Beside the streetlights showing through the windows in large squares, all else laid shaded in darkness. He stood, overtaken completely by his own shadow in the doorway, the light surrounding him creating his perfect silhouette.

The sound of footsteps faltering had Freed turning slightly as he replaced his jacket through his arms. Only the buttons on his sleeves and his cerulean eyes caught light, almost glowing ethereal in contrast.

"Laxus?"

The steps began again, the maroon sneakers shifting into one of the lit boxes on the floor, followed by worn jeans, and the bottom of his royal purple tank top that waved with his abs. "Thanks for your help." An unseen face mumbled in the dark, brushing past him to unlock the door.

 _'Not like this…'_ Freed frowned.

Then he did something _reckless_.

Putting a gentle hand over Laxus', he pushed his body into his, caging the other with his lacking mass. Even in the darkness, Freed could make out that the beast's eyes were widening in front of him.

 _"Thank you…"_ he breathed, placing a lingering chaste kiss on a stubbled cheek and breathed into his ear, _"...for making this day worth having."_

Pressing into the door without further word, Freed exited into the cold and drew his jacket more tightly around himself. He did look back at the building once he'd gotten to his car, chancing a grin and a small wave hoping he'd seen it from the inside where he still stood probably incredulously processing.

Freed felt embarrassed but accomplished. Risks like these were necessary sometimes, he told his rational self. Sometimes there was nothing to be gained from standing still; and yet while he rubbed his hands together in the driver's seat as his economical vehicle warmed, he chastised himself for being too bold and confusing.

Probably because his order-compulsive mind was at war with a drive to become companionable.

He let out a sigh he could see in the cold and laid his crown against the headrest. Life was passing him by most days while he sat at his desk crunching numbers and filing paperwork. _Why couldn't he have a little fun now and then? Where was the harm?_

A tight-lipped smile with red lipstick echoed through his memory at that moment.

 _'Oh yes,'_ he amended, putting the civic in gear and beginning to head out of the parking lot to the highway.

 _'That's where.'_


	2. The Good Kind of Pain

**_soooooo THIS happened. im not sorry. its raw, so i hope its still enjoyable. thank you! (hope you like whiplash)_** i dont own FT or its characters. tis sad.

 **Chapter 2: The Best Kind of Pain**

Normalcy could be comforting in its own right. Surprises threw off order, and drew in the discomfort of wobbling chaos to completely decimate the serenity of office life.

Fuck, he'd _pray_ for normalcy to whatever higher power that would hear him. He'd _beg_ for it after the morning he was having. It was several months after his brief encounter at the cafe that Freed would come face to face with storm-cloud blue eyes and a discontented grimace.

"W-what-??" The accountant stammered in the face of this nightmarish figure looming imposing over his quaint pinewood desk. The only blessing in all of this was that he had climbed the latter enough to procure a private office recently. "Wait… wait what??"

Laxus' eyes fell to the woodgrain beneath his calloused hands. "It's not a big deal or anything," he ground out, a vein prominently throbbed on his temple, "just taxes. Gramps' old accountant retired so…"

"So _naturally_ you thought of _me_??" Freed hissed, not entirely sure why he felt so raw and used. "Do you not possess a **phonebook**?? There are three private practices I can think of off the top of my head practically within walking distance of your establishment, _Laxus_. I'd be happy to give you their contact information…" He sniffed, his eyes shutting with the crossing of his creamy dress shirt. "...for your _convenience_ , _obviously_ , as well as my _own_."

Too many emotions crossed Laxus' face; it appeared he'd had a fit of some kind. He drew in a shaky breath and finally looked up at the accountant now tossing his ponytail over his shoulder in stubborn dismissal of him. "This isn't something just anyone can handle… not something I'd **let** just anyone handle," he amended with some effort, his frustration clear in his eyes. "...Business isn't good. We had a chain open across the way. We need… I need help with this from someone I trust."

Despite the chewing Freed did on the inside of his mouth in defiance, Laxus' explanation did tug at him. He knew what it was to wonder whether his business would be there come next quarter; it wasn't a feeling he'd wish on the man who he'd convinced himself saw him as no more than a play thing for the evening eight months ago.

It was too personal; too messy for him to deal with. It wouldn't lead anywhere good, of that he was certain.

"Why would you trust _me_ of all people? The exact parameters for your knowledge of my character can be summed up in a paragraph. You don't know anything _about_ me, Laxus Dreyer." Freed groaned tiredly. It was 10 A.M. and he'd wished he hadn't forgotten his coffee. Maybe he would have been more cooperative had the blond lumux brought caffeine.

"Why do you have to make this about _that night??_ Do you not want my business??" Laxus' volume was climbing and would soon reach a height where their conversation would no longer be considered private. "Besides, a friend recommended your services, so it's not like I was here to make you feel _uncomfortable_ or anything."

Freed stood, leaning over his desk and making Laxus take a half step back. The accountant was losing his patience, he wanted to return to his day. "A friend." He condescended, his cheeks unable to keep a creeping blush fromthe view of the attractive man's proximity. "What _friend?_ "

The barista felt the slight sense of intimidation, though he knew Freed would be no match for him physically. There was a mental dexterity to him he couldn't match and somehow that made him more dangerous than any beefcake muscle brain that would pick a fight with him.

"Her name is Mirajane Strau-"

If flames could have erupted from Freed's ears, they would have done so, consuming the building in the murderous stare and gritted teeth that flew into his expression. **"Get. The. FUCK. Out. _NOW!"_**

"No." He insisted, his brows practically being swallowed by his hairline but the urge to run only quelled by his sense of duty. "We need help, Freed. **Please**."

The accountant walked around his desk toward the closed door, his movements stiff and angular. "I will see you out now, Mr. Dreyer."

"Dude, _stop_." Laxus took hold of the wrist flying past him and yanked gently, trying to keep him in place.

Before Freed could school his response he was turning and pressing his chest into the wall of muscle holding him captive, his wild sapphires irate, bulging with each painful pound of his heart. " _UnHAND_ me, _swine_."

The deadly tone of his voice sent a shiver down Laxus' spine, solidifying his hold on him and tightening. "Not until you agree to-"

The sentence never finished for the sting that flew the blond's face side bound. Freed had struck him, open-handed a percussive grunt exiting his lips with the effort.

The green haired man knew he'd fucked up the minute his vision cleared and he could focus on the earth-shattering 50 shades of _pissed off_ Laxus. Before he could apologize or even try to get away, he was pinned against the wall of his office. The hulking body of the aggressor pressed flush against him, his wrists caught between them in crushing grips that made his skin numb.

The beast's breathing was labored, puffing against his cheek where he'd turned his head expecting to be struck. They stayed like this, their breasts thudding against the other's skin for what seemed like hours. Finally Freed looked up and saw the effort straining against the blond's emotional constitution.

 **"Calm. Down."** Laxus growled, his hold loosening on the captured wrists. "Do **not** hit me. We both know I'm a lot fucking **stronger** than you are." There was something new swelling in his expression, something damaged and unclear. "I am **not** trying to hurt you. I would **never**."

 _"You're hurting me NOW."_ Freed argued, removing his hands from the others and rubbing at the tender red skin there.

Laxus' eyes almost looked glassy. His gaze falling to the ring of pink where he'd gripped Freed too tightly. "Sorry." He said softly, a tender dejectedness creeping over his tone. "That wasn't my intention."

Incredulous, Freed scoffed, their eyes meeting again with scorn. "What exactly _WAS_ your intent if not to cause _pain_ and _intimidate_ me."

Angry fingers drew into fists beside Freed's shoulders making him flinch. Laxus exhaled and placed his palms gently on the biceps in front of him, curling his fingers to cradle the flesh beneath the nylon fabric. "You don't know what it's like being picked at because you look like you can _handle it."_

Freed's eyes narrowed. "You **can't** be serious."

"I am." He glared right back "You know I wouldn't hurt you intentionally."

"How? How **the hell** would I know that, Laxus? I've met you _once_. **_One time._** In which you threatened bodily harm for seeing you _dance to music_. Are you so _honestly insecure_ that you can't handle a complete stranger, _whom you may never have seen again without you seeking them out_ , **refusing** you?"

A tremble so slight it could have been imagined ran down Laxus' spine. How could someone strip him so bare with such little effort? Freed was stunned to find he had unintentionally hit the nail on the head. "That was cruel of me." He said quickly, now growing distressed at the retreating step the man took away from him. "Laxus…"

The damage was done. "Nah, you're right." The blond confirmed, moving to grab the file he'd set on Freed's desk. "We don't know _shit_ about each other. You had every right to be…"

"Laxus, I'm _sorry_!" he said desperately, tugging at the back of his shirt. "Please don't go- not like _this!"_

"Gramps will be expecting me." The blond insisted automatically, trying to brush Freed off.

 _"Listen to me!"_ Freed shrieked, the fabric slipping between his fingers.

 ** _"NO, YOU LISTEN!"_** The beast turned and roared, definitely loud enough his coworkers would hear. "I _get_ it! I _do!_ You wanted more than I could **give**. I know it wasn't fair of me to come here after that. I _know_ I shouldn't have held onto you like that. **_I fucking know!"_**

Freed stood in silence, worrying his lip with his teeth.

"It isn't **fair** of me to ask, but we're… _in trouble_." Laxus managed, his eyes glassy again. He took a shaky breath and looked away. "The shop was _Gran's_. It means somethin' to _him_ … and I've been such a _fuck up_ , I want to do something _right_ , but I don't know how to do this. He's gettin' on in age and I'm not ready to take over yet..."

His cheeks looked damp.

Freed engulfed him in a hug without preamble or thought. His arms slung around the collar of the sky-colored polo shirt and caressing the back of his hair with firm fingers, soothing away the stress manually. _"Okay. Shhhh…"_

"Don't... _sniff_ …. Fucking shush me…" Laxus growled wetly into Freed's shoulder, sounding angry but still wrapping his arms around the nimble waist. "I'm _not_ a child."

"Of course." Freed allowed, pleased when the behemoth sunk into his embrace. He kissed his cheek tenderly and breathed against his jaw. "We'll figure it out _together_ , alright?"

Another choked sniffle shook Laxus and by proximity the man clinging to him. _"Okay."_ The response was so small, Freed thought he'd misheard him.

"That's better, right?" Freed cooed gently in his ear. "It will all be o

Laxus swung his head around and sealed the smaller man's mouth shut with his own. He whimpered against the accountant's mouth as if he was equal parts afraid of what he was doing and so very excited. The kiss was **emotional** ; _sloppy_ , yet _tender_ and pregnant with gratitude and something deeper. There was no working to uncover exactly what that something _was_ when Freed finally physically responded.

They held each other for a time and mouthed sweet, tender things when they drew back for air. _"You're_ ** _beautiful_** _, you know?"_ Laxus murmured, lids hooded and dreamily staring into Freed's.

 _" **You** are,"_ he whispered back, his arm around the blond's neck drawing the him closer in the embrace. _"It's **painful** how beautiful you are."_

This gave the bigger man pause, and he drew back slightly to be able to see the other's face properly. "The _good_ kind of pain, _right?"_

Freed's smile turned up more ever so slightly at the edges. "The _best_ kind, Laxus."

The beastly man looked vulnerable, the fear creeping back into his veins like daggers of ice. "You **scare** me."

Nudging his nose with his own, the accountant brushed their mouths together in a chaste, sweet kiss. "I won't ever hurt you intentionally. I promise." He said, setting his forehead against the other.

 _"Swear?"_ Laxus asked, his eyes searching the deep ocean before him for truth.

"I do. _I swear it."_

Their lips met again and they reveled in the homey scent of new love.


	3. Madness

**_When a Muse strikes. Pardon my pun. I do not own Fairy Tail yo._**

.

.

 **Chapter 3: Madness**

 _One year prior..._

If the music could get any more annoying, he would have torn his ears off just to save himself the headache. Still, there was enough booze to be had to keep his temper to a dull roar and he wasn't exactly here for himself anyway.

"So what's the big deal?" Laxus sniped while throwing back another bitter shot of cheap whiskey. He'd have to remember the stuff should he need paint thinned on his home's exterior. "You were upfront, what more could you have done?"

Club music suited her in all ways. Mirajane was the picture of healthy beauty in that 'Keeping up with the Kardasians' sort of way. Eating no more than a few spinach leaves a day and yet keeping her "T. And A." shapely. Off hand, he figured she had to be stuffing at this point if they were real.

It was a shame- she had intelligence beneath all that makeup; enough so to make her appealing at one point in their lives but no longer. There wasn't enough liquor glittering with multicolored lights on the mahogany shelving in front of them to make him want to try again. At her best, his childhood friend had earned the nickname _"Satan's Soul"_ for eating men _alive._

"Sure, I was honest before we did anything." Mira pursed her lips and sighed heavily through the tension. White blond hair sparkled with vitality on her shoulders and waved with her own shot of Fireball being tossed back. "Still… you would have thought I'd kicked a puppy when I told him we couldn't see each other anymore."

Finally turning in his high-backed pleather stool, Laxus quirked a brow at her, judging the dejected slump in her shoulders. "This is different from the others… _how_ , exactly?" Man his throat was getting sore talking over all this bullshit noise.

His friend glanced sideways at him, fidgeting with the empty shot glass on the granite bar. "Most of them put up a fight. Most of them push until I lose all interest in them entirely." Mira paused thoughtfully and rested her chin in her hand. "He was _different_. He just… said 'Okay' and left. Just like that! It was **nuts**!"

A tremor in his eye betrayed his true feelings on the subject. "Yeah… uhhh… that _sucks_."

The platinum blond turned to face him, her tired eyes murderous. "Don't pretend like you're any _better_ than me. We made a deal a long time ago this is how it would be, _so don't get all self-righteous like you haven't done it before."_

It was then that he turned and faced his friend fully for what felt like the first time since they'd made that promise all those years ago. The world had not been kind to Lovely Mirajane Straus, but she'd always come out better than _this_ … whatever _this_ happened to be.

"Sounds like you may need to reevaluate pre-teen pacts, Mira." There wasn't an ounce of accusation in him, only concern now. It was as though she was fighting a corpse long dead and buried. The effort held such little meaning anymore. "We're grown now. Is it so wrong to want to find somebody?"

Scorn wrinkled her nose. _"You sound just like them."_ Rolling her eyes she paid their tab with a few bills and stood, adjusting her skirt and hair. "Love never did either of us any favors; _what will it do for us now?"_

Before he could reply she stormed off, swinging her hips in that unatural way she always did- the one that was now causing several men to lean from their tables, accompanied or not.

"Who said anything about _love?"_ he said to his empty glass before requesting another for the road from the bartender. "There has to be something better than _this_ , though."

The music seemed to improve after his shot, and one turned into three more. By the last, his throat had stopped burning entirely. The drunken swing of his head to the beat mimicked the precise yet drowsy rhythm thrumming his spine from the speakers. Laxus was just drunk enough at this point that he thought a dance wouldn't be the worst idea. He was in the heart of the city- it was unlikely he'd run into anyone he knew. _Where was the harm?_

There were plenty of people dancing in various stages of inebriation, and the blond made his way into the heart of them. It only took a few people nearly meeting his elbow with their face before he was given the space to move freely, his hips loose with the warmth of his whiskey.

Dreamily he shut his tired eyes and felt the music swallow his senses. The loss of sight, however caused a stumble, and he quickly righted himself after a minor flail into the crowd.

 ** _I, I can't get these memories out of my mind,_** ** _and some kind of madness has started to evolve._**

The body he was currently grabbing to steady himself shook with laughter, and he looked up into a deep ocean, grinning with curiously straight teeth below. His hair was to his mid back, pale in the club light and hung loose down the shoulders Laxus had grabbed. The man's own stumble gave away his shared drunkenness.

 ** _I, I've tried so hard to let you go, but some kind of madness is swallowing me whole._**

The blond squinted at the smaller man's mouth that was lazily muttering something far too soft to be heard in such a place.

 _"What'dja say??"_ He raised his voice, cupping his ear with a meaty palm.

 ** _I have finally seen the light, and I have finally realized..._**

This seemed to further amuse the other and he leaned in far too close, his lips fumbling over Laxus' earlobe. _"Hey!"_

 ** _...what you mean._**

 _"Hi!"_ he yelled back, his chin brushing the inflamed porcelain cheek beside him.

The stranger drew back and found the larger man's proximity shocking, his smile faltering as his gaze grew wide. There was something roiling inside Laxus at sight of the parted lips so close to his; the feeling had him physically swooning. The other man grabbed him around the middle to keep him upright.

 ** _And now, I need to know is this real love,_** ** _or is it just madness keeping us afloat?_**

The blond grinned, _"I guess we're dancing!"_ he laughed, not noticing the many faces in the crowd watching him warily in case he tried to fall over again.

 _"What??"_ The stranger called, leaning forward again with his rosy flush still burned into his face.

 _"We're dancing!"_ Laxus shouted, their cheeks bumping with the working of his jaw.

 ** _And when I look back at all the crazy fights we had..._**

The grip on him tightened, palms splaying against his back with more confidence. _"Sure!"_ he yelled back, their hips meeting flush, _"I'd love to!"_

Their bodies began to sway with the beat, their disproportionate frames still fitting perfectly together despite a small height difference. The blond could only marvel at the pulsing electrical shocks that scorched his veins where this man touched him, his face unable to stay neutral when he couldn't quite figure out where to put his hands.

 ** _...Like some kind of madness was taking control._**

 ** _Yeah._**

Seeing his confusion, the stranger grinned softly and guided them to his own hips, his fingers flitting up the exposed arms in front of him and circling around Laxus' sturdy neck. With a tug of the hair at the base of his skull, the blond actually growled and pressed his whole body flush against his dance partner, their foreheads saving their eyesight enough that they could still see the other's expression: wondrous excitement.

 ** _And now I have finally seen the light_**

 ** _And I have finally realized…_**

The song was giving him a contact high, his heart racing against the beautiful stranger staring back at him unblinking and lovely. He had a dark freckle below his eye, a natural beauty mark that completed the perfection that was his heart-shaped face. Their exchanged breath from grinding into each other was sickly sweet with alcohol though neither of them noticed it, only the heady scent of new desire mixing in hot exhales.

 ** _What you need._**

Was his hair green? Was it natural? Here and there he'd get flashes of real light from above allowing him to see clearly a moment, and it only led him to more questions.

What was a man like him doing here alone?

Why did the guitar solo shake his bones in such a suggestive way? There was absolutely no way to hide the insistent erection he now dug into the other, but he didn't appear to be opposed given that his own responded with vigor. The delicious swing of his pelvis to the beat made Laxus weak, like his partner was using his abdomen and traveling fingers down the blond's back to play him like an instrument.

 ** _And now I have finally seen the end (Finally seen the end)._**

When the vocals started again, their movement was fluid, their steps unconsciously in sync with the smaller man leading. Laxus couldn't help but scrape his blunt nails against his dance partner's hip bones, riding under the silken shirt covering them and reveling in the even softer skin beneath.

 ** _And I'm not expecting you to care (Expecting you to care)._**

The smaller man muttered something, his lips moving with no sound to be heard over the swelling of the music.

 ** _But I have finally seen the light (Finally seen the light)._**

 _"What??"_ Laxus said, turning his face to the side to better hear him.

 ** _I have finally realized (Realized)..._**

He was singing along. A shiver ran through his strong frame and his eyes widened, his mouth moving without his permission to complete the phrase he knew so well. A phrase he'd heard on his sound pod a million times, and in his heart a million more:

 ** _I need to love!_**

He said the sentence so forcefully into the night, Laxus didn't notice the delighted blanch and laughter beside him at his terrible pitch. The man drew back and shouted back at him, his smiling eyes warm and drawing nearer.

 ** _I need to love!_**

Instinct crushed the blond's lips into the other's. Dangerously soft yet pliant, the lips beneath his with a vibration Laxus identified as a moan without hearing it. His body leapt between them, echoed faintly by the other before an insistent thrust took his breath away. The stray thought that he had admitted to a perfect stranger (even if only in song) that he didn't value the casual romping he'd grown so accustomed to so much anymore.

He wanted something more.

 ** _Come to me,_**

 ** _Trust in your dream-_**

 ** _Come on and rescue me._**

Their contact broke in favor of smaller, sweeter, more purposeful kisses placed with religious worshiping attentions around Laxus' mouth. His eyes closed, savoring selfishly the attention this stranger paid him. His night had been filled with such negativity, and this man was filling him again with what was truly important in this life.

 ** _Yes I have known, I can be wrong._**

 ** _Maybe I'm too headstrong._**

 ** _Our love is..._**

The beat fading away, so too did the stranger's touch, but the lasting effect it had on him left his heavy lids clamped shut. It was only with the final chorus fading out that they grudgingly lifted.

His beautiful stranger no place to be found.

 ** _Madness._**


End file.
